Holy shit.
Nikolaj lines up his hips and slides so deep inside me I fear I’ll never want him to find his way out. I moan from the blissful assault. Folding over me, he places a gentle kiss against my back, which contrasts with the savage way he’s pounding my pussy. “Shhh. You can’t be as loud as you usually are, baby.”
More laughter coming from the gardens below us causes me to jerk my head up, but Nikolaj doesn’t slow down. “Oh, look, way over there, Aunt Carmelita is chasing after one of the waiters. Poor bastard. Better him than me or your brother-in-law.” Even though I can’t see his face I can hear him smile. I stretch my body to catch a glimpse of the action, but Nikolaj pushes into me so forcefully I nearly choke. My strangled sound makes him growl, and he rewards me with by increasing his frenetic tempo. “It’s so good you can’t even talk, huh?”
He’s right. I hear the victory in his voice, but I don’t care. There’s nothing more earth-shattering than him relentlessly pounding his nine-inch cock into me. Jesus fucking Christ. I gasp for air, searching for something to hold on to. His cock is so demanding inside me, ramming into me harder. Every time I try to make a sound in the hopes he might give me some respite, I can’t.
“Do you like to see me this filthy, taking you so roughly? I know I’ve branded you again.”
“Ahhh,” I exhale.
“That’s not the answer I want to hear, baby.”
“I’m too far gone to even think, let alone talk,” I bark, nearing the edge.
“Tell me you’ve missed my hungry cock half as much as I’ve missed your intoxicating pussy.”
Christ, he tortures me so well.
“Nikolaj. Please. Stop. I can’t take your dirty mouth any longer.”
“You’re going to take whatever I give you, sweetness.” He moves faster and harder and I submit, begging for more. “After three weeks, did you really think I wasn’t going to ride you like a wild bull?” He thrusts in and out of me with such determination I know I’ll be bruised. Gripping my shoulders, he pulls me up so my back is against his chest. “If you expected me to whisper sweet nothings in your ear, you’re shagging the wrong guy. I fuck you hard, I talk dirty and I make you come until you can’t remember your name anymore.”
“Argh.” I’m slipping. No. I’m freefalling. My walls are coming down around me brick by brick. He always leaves me completely unraveled, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. His hands run up to my breasts, cupping them and twisting both nipples at the same time. “Jesus Christ,” I scream out.
“He can’t save you. It’s too late.” Sliding his hand down my side, Nikolaj hitches my leg up on top of the credenza, opening me up wider and allowing him to thrust deeper and deeper. “Your pussy feels so fucking heady. It’s so potent. It’s as if it’s swallowing me whole. When you walk back into the ballroom, I want your legs to tremble so much they can barely hold you up.”
“Nik—”
Yes. This is it. This is what I’ve desperately needed for three excruciatingly long weeks. Fuck. The buildup is overwhelming and I know my climax will threaten to cause a cardiac arrest.
“Come for me, Ciara.”
Taking my hand in his, Nikolaj interlaces our fingers before moving them down my body to my throbbing clit, forcing both our hands to stroke and tease my hard node.
“Jesus, this is so fucking dirty,” I hiss. The unexpected raunchiness of his actions causes my eyes to roll into the back of my head.
“I crave you like a drug, Ciara, and for the past few weeks I’ve being in withdrawal. This is my hit of ecstasy,” he grunts as he pumps in and out of me while gliding my finger on top of my nub. “Your clit is so hard. Do you feel how much you want me?” He spreads my fingers so they slide on either side of my pussy, guided by the slickness of my juices.
There are no words to describe the smuttiness of our lascivious behavior.
“Ohhh,” I exhale. “I’m coming.”
“Don’t you dare hold back on me.” Nikolaj covers my mouth to muffle my carnal pleas before placing a kiss against my flushed cheek.
I cry out his name into the palm of his hand as my body tenses and my pussy clenches around his cock. My climax rips through me, traveling divinely throughout every inch of my body. Thank you, God. I close my eyes, hoping to bring down my racing heart rate, but my fiancé has other plans. Once he’s made me lose my mind he takes what he needs from me. I turn my head to the right, watching him in the wall-to-wall mirror as he drives his cock inside me, ramming into me so deep my boobs hit my chest in rhythmic cadence as I chant silently. Yes, yes, yes. Nikolaj’s final thrust is unwavering as he spills his nectar into me. “Ciara,” he grunts so low I can barely hear him. He bites into my shoulder to contain the sounds of his own climax as he’s overcome by waves of intense pleasure.
Oh, my God. That was obscenely decadent.
My mind is blank. I’m spent, but I’m already counting the hours until we’re back at our hotel room. If he wants my ass, I won’t refuse him and he knows it.
Nik kisses my neck before laying his forehead against my shoulder. The voices of guests from the garden continue to carry up to us as we lock eyes in the mirror. He smiles weakly as we stare at each other for a few minutes.
“I love you,” I confess, breaking the silence.
“I love you even more, baby.”
“That was amazing.”
“You’re always worth waiting for, my love.”
As much as I’d like to stay locked in his embrace for the rest of the night, I’m sure my parents will be looking for me. “We should really get back before Diego and my mom flip out on us.”
“You’re right. Your father likes me and I want to keep it that way.” Nikolaj chuckles.
Reluctantly, he pulls out of me and I frown at the immediate void.
“Don’t move. I don’t think it would be appropriate to use the cloth napkins, so let me grab a few paper ones. I’m afraid that’s the best I can do under these conditions,” he mocks.
He reaches down to pull up his pants and walks towards one of the serving tables in the opposite corner of the room. He strides back towards me and slides his hand between my thighs, wiping clean all evidence of our sexual encounter.
“Thank you.” I’m always dumbstruck by how he loves doing that after he’s come inside me.
“Let’s get dressed,” he orders, caressing my ass.
Nikolaj buttons up his white shirt before slipping back into his tailored jacket. He waltzes my way so I can help him with his tie. Once he looks like the dapper businessman he always is, he turns his attention to me. He helps me zip up my dress as I straighten my skirt in an attempted to look presentable again.
“Ready?”
“How do I look?” I ask, patting my hair with the palms of my hands.
“Positively angelic.”
“Liar.” I hit his muscular chest. “Oh, my panties,” I screech, pointing to my thong lying on the floor.
“We don’t want to leave those behind now, do we?” Nikolaj grabs my shredded lace underwear and shoves them into his pocket. He taps the outer fabric of his jacket as if he’s hiding a treasure.
“Let’s get out of here,” I say, grabbing the clutch I dropped on the chair when we first got here.
I glance one last time at the mirror to make sure I don’t look like sex, but I smile, knowing full well it’s futile. My rosy cheeks and the utter contentment reflecting back at me are telltale signs of a woman who’s been fucked. Everyone in that room will know the instant I walk back in. Oh, well. I reach for the knob and steal one last kiss from the man I love with all my heart before stepping out.
Unexpectedly, the door across from ours swings open and Nikolaj and I freeze at the sight before us.
“Sofia?” I blink a few times before bringing my eyes up to the man standing behind her. “Bryce?”
For the love of God. I’m never going to hear the end of this. I open my mouth to plead my case, but the way my sister is contorting her li
ttle body makes me cock my head to the side. Why is Sofia tugging her party dress down like this? It’s only when I squint that I notice her tight updo is a little messier than it was. At that moment I realize we weren’t the only couple to succumb to their urges.
“No way.” I grin, shaking my head.
The look of surprise on my sister’s and brother-in-law’s faces turns into amusement and all four of us burst out in laughter.
BOOK 6—ALWAYS & FOREVER
Chapter Two
Twelve days later
Diego and Mom’s wedding was a magical fairytale. Everything was spot on—from the sumptuous Spanish feast, to the assortment of premium wines from Spain’s premier wine maker, to the live band, to the to-die-for blackberry-hazelnut four-tier wedding cake, to the dessert table to end all dessert tables. It was a wondrous ceremony. The defining moment was when Emilio cut in and asked for a dance with my mom. Diego didn’t hesitate one second to allow the once-married couple to share one more tender moment.
Sofia cried so much I had to take her out of the ballroom and hug her until she calmed down. Don’t get me wrong, they were tears of joy, but since we’re talking about my sappy sister, it was a bit of a drama fest.
I’ll admit, it was quite moving watching Mom and Emilio swaying on the dance floor to Columbian crooner Santiago Cruz’s poignant Y Si Te Quedas, Que? ballad. Most divorced couples hate each other’s guts, but Mom and Emilio simply needed to let go of their loveless relationship in order to be happy.
Diego and Mom were beaming with joy and they were so playful with each other the entire night. It’s no surprise that at two o’clock in the morning, Diego swept my mom off her feet and marched to a limo waiting to take them to their love nest. Nikolaj saw that as his cue to end the evening and head to our own suite to finish what we started a few hours earlier.
Sofia and I spent the following days in Barcelona with my parents until Diego whisked Mom away to a dreamy private reserve located in Loisaba, Kenya for their honeymoon. Once my parents left Barcelona, the clan dispersed and we all returned to our lives. Aunt Carmelita returned to the North West London suburb of Primrose Hill and to the flat she got in her last divorce settlement. Sofia and Bryce boarded his plane and returned to their swanky penthouse in New York. Nikolaj got on his badass private jet to meet up with his business partner Martin Gallagher for their next conquest—Dubai. And I made my way to Berlin on a first-class flight to continue my work on the Boutique Hotel Müller, aka Kayla and her brothers’ latest luxury acquisition.
As usual, my team of designers did stellar work while I was attending my parents’ wedding, but it was still so rewarding to roll up my sleeves and come up with the lighting design of what will soon become the most coveted address in the city.
Since I’ll be so busy working in Germany and I have an important meeting with Kayla Ellison tomorrow in Paris to discuss an exciting new project in one of my favorite cities in the world, Nikolaj and I decided to base ourselves in his luxury apartment in Paris for the next few months. How I’m going to fit in planning a wedding in New York and a second one in Copenhagen with everything else I’m juggling in the next three months is beyond me. I’m sure it will all fall into place somehow.
If you had told me one day I’d be living in the luxurious Trocadéro neighborhood in the 16th Arrondissement, I would’ve laughed my head off. Sure, Sofia and I dreamt about this sort of glitzy lifestyle, but it still blows my mind every time I walk into the office Nikolaj decorated for me in his home and stare at the Eiffel Tower. Even though we’re getting married, I still struggle to call the Paris apartment mine. It’s still way too surreal.
One of the biggest perks of staying in Paris is the fact that within two hours of hopping on a plane from Berlin, I’m at Charles de Gaulle Airport. I’m waiting in line with a mob of people and I can’t help but marvel at the couple who whiz by an officer sitting in one of those glass boxes. A quick flash of their passports is all it takes for the two divinely dressed travelers to be on their way. Money does make the world go round.
Although the security line is manageable, it’s still far longer than I would’ve waited for had I arrived on my fiancé’s private jet. Flying commercial just isn’t the same.
The second I pass immigration, my phone rings. I drop my carry-on to the floor and scramble inside my handbag to pull out my iPhone. When my client’s name flashes on my screen, I immediately worry something might have gone wrong since I left Berlin.
“Kayla.”
“Ciara, I hope I’m not catching you at a bad time.”
“I barely landed in Paris and I’m still at the airport, but when I saw your number, I picked up. Is everything okay?”
“Oh, absolutely. Logan, Walker and I are thrilled with the concepts you submitted. And you know it’s nearly impossible to please my big brother with the first draft.”
Thank God. “That’s great. You’re right, Logan is definitely a tough nut to crack.”
“I know we’re meeting for a late lunch tomorrow at our office, but I just couldn’t wait any longer to share the good news. But since you just landed in Paris and it must be so chaotic at the airport, perhaps this might not be the best time…”
“Are you kidding me? You can’t tease me like this and leave me hanging for the next twenty-nine hours,” I protest, glancing at my watch. “That’s just cruel and I’m pretty sure you’d be violating about fifteen different labor laws.”
Her boisterous laugh resonates from the phone and I join her. “This is epic, Ciara, and not only does it affect our business growth in Europe, it’s also going to affect you in a big way.”
“My God, don’t keep me waiting, woman. What is it?” I’m so giddy I could jump up and down in the middle of Charles de Gaulle without caring if anyone thinks I’ve lost my marbles. I already love what I do so much I’d be willing to work for free and my involvement with Kayla’s company has been a dream come true. I can’t imagine what could possibly top this.
“What if I told you the number one lighting designer in America, who also happens to be working on one of my hotels in Germany, is about to watch her business explode?”
“Are we talking about me?” At this point I’m struggling to contain my excitement.
“Of course. Who else?” I can hear her smile over the phone. “An hour ago, we signed the papers to acquire several blocks of old buildings the French government no longer wants on their books. Carrying the financial burden no longer made any sense for those bureaucrats and they were finally willing to sell. We’re not talking about any old Parisian buildings, we’re talking about prime neighborhoods in Paris. Once we transform them, they’ll become the most coveted destinations for wealthy travelers and for those looking for a full-service luxury residence for longer stays in the French capital.”
“Holy smokes, Kayla, that’s amazing. That must’ve been quite the battle. The French don’t give up historical buildings that easily.”
“They don’t, but as long as we promised to preserve their architectural integrity on the outside, and we will, we can gut the insides of those bad boys to our hearts’ content.”
“You’re right. This is truly epic. There’s surely no stopping you, girl. You’re on fire.”
“And it’s about to get better. We want you to lend your magic touch to these buildings.”
“No way.”
“We have a crew ready to get started first thing Monday morning. We’re looking at one year of renovations before you’ll get involved, which is perfect because in the meantime, you can focus on Berlin, Hamburg and our newest acquisition here in the city.”
“Oh, my God, there’s more?”
“Oh, yeah.” She giggles. “Today will go down in history for us. This morning we signed off on the old Chaville hotel in the 6th Arrondissement. After months of competitive and sometimes downright dirty negotiating, it’s finally ours.”
“Ha,” I gasp, bringing my hand up to cover my gaping mouth. “Are you serious?” I n
early choke on my question simply because all the wheeling and dealing around this hotel has been preoccupying Parisians for months. I can’t believe Kayla and her brothers were able to snatch it from the Dubai sheikh who was desperate to buy it. “Are we talking about the same Chaville hotel located in iconic upscale rive gauche Saint Germain-des-Prés neighborhood?”
“The one and only. The good thing about this acquisition is that it was renovated a year ago for an insane amount of money, but the current owners hit a bad streak in business and they had to get rid of it. We only have to go in and change the décor to match our standards. We’ll get started working on this one within the next couple of weeks.”
Although she can’t see me, I shake my head in amazement. “Kayla, when do you sleep? Every time I turn around, you’ve acquired a new fleet of luxury hotels somewhere on this planet.”
“I know it’s a lot all at once, but we’ve been working on these for months and in some cases years. As they say, overnight success is achieved over many sleepless nights.”
“I couldn’t have said it better.”
“So we can count on you, right?”
“Kayla, are you sure?” I know the quality of my work, but being handed such an extraordinary opportunity is blowing my mind. “I’m humbled and I’m really honored you trust me enough to hand over these projects to me and my team.”
“Are you kidding me? Your work is original, sleek, upscale and irreproachable. In fact, Logan declared we weren’t going to ask for submissions from any other designer. The minute all three of us had signed those papers, he requested I call you personally to secure your services.”
“Logan? He said that?” Now I’m taken aback.
“Yup. My big brother made up his mind about you a long time ago.” Tell me about it.
“He does know I’m getting married?”
Logan is the consummate seducer.
“To his chagrin, he’s quite aware of this tragedy.”
I burst out laughing.
“Listen, why don’t I let you go. There are a few other important things I want to discuss with you, but let’s do it face to face when we meet. I couldn’t keep everything bottled up. I had to share or else I was going to combust with excitement. These projects have been my babies for so long and it’s finally all coming together. All right, so I’ll see you tomorrow at one o’clock at our offices?”
Always & Forever Page 4
